Roof tile support arrangement

ABSTRACT

A tile support arrangement ( 10 ) has interlocking panels ( 30 ) adapted to support thereon a plurality of tiles ( 32 ), the interlocking panels ( 30 ) being supported by battens ( 18 ). The battens ( 18 ) are secured to load bearing frame members, such as timber rafters ( 12 ), of an inclined roof or a wall of a building.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a tile support arrangement and, in particular, to an arrangement for supporting flat plate tiles on an inclined roof or against the outer walls of a building.

BACKGROUND ART

There is a need for an inexpensive, easy to erect, light weight, and reliable tile support arrangement for buildings.

Inclined rooves of, say, domestic buildings commonly incorporate heavy, shaped, baked clay tiles supported on successive rows of timber battens that extend between rafters of the roof. The use of such tiles together with the timber battens exerts considerable weight on the rafters which must be of a sufficient strength (and size) to sustain the weight over a long term. The use of timber battens and rafters of sufficient load bearing size also places a drain on timber resources.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a tile support arrangement for inclined rooves that does not employ timber battens and requires rafters of lighter weight than are presently used for clay tile rooves.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a tile support arrangement for the outer walls of a building that can be used to provide an aesthetically appealing, tiled wall appearance.

It is a further object of the present invention to overcome, or at least substantially ameliorate, the disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a tile support arrangement comprising interlocking panels adapted to support thereon a plurality of tiles, battens adapted to support thereon the interlocking panels, and means for securing the battens to load bearing frame members of an inclined roof or a wall of a building.

Preferably, each interlocking panel is so supported on the battens that it has a first edge adapted to be located, in use, above a second edge in opposed relationship to the first edge, the first edge defining an upwardly hooked portion and the second edge defining a downwardly hooked portion, wherein an upper one of the panels in the arrangement is interlocked to a lower one of the panels by mutual engagement of the upper panel downwardly hooked portion with the lower panel upwardly hooked portion.

It is preferred that each batten includes an upright portion adapted to support the interlocking panels in spaced relationship to the frame members and a transversely extending portion adapted to engage within the downwardly hooked portion of an interlocking panel.

In a preferred form, each batten includes a base portion adapted to be supported against the frame members and to receive means for fixing the batten to the frame members.

The tile support arrangement also includes clips adapted to fix the tiles on the interlocking panels.

Each clip has a first end adapted to be located, in use, above a second end in opposed relationship to the first end, both the first and second ends defining separate upwardly hooked portions, wherein the upwardly hooked portion at the first end is adapted to engage within the downwardly hooked portion of an interlocking panel that supports a tile, and the upwardly hooked portion at the second end is adapted to engage around a lower edge of the tile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a tile support arrangement according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in use on an inclined roof nearest a gutter of the roof,

FIG. 2 is a side view of a portion of the tile support arrangement of FIG. 1 shown supporting a single tile on an inclined roof,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the tile support arrangement of FIG. 1 or 2, in use on an inclined roof nearest a ridge of the roof,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the tile support arrangement of FIGS. 1 to 3, specifically showing a (starter) batten for supporting a panel nearest the gutter of the roof,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the (starter) batten shown in FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of a tile support arrangement according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in use against an outer wall of a building,

FIG. 7 is a side view of the tile support arrangement of FIG. 6, and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a clip adapted for use with the tile support arrangements of FIGS. 1 to 4, 6 and 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The tile support arrangement 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is supported on load bearing timber rafters (only rafter 12 shown) of an inclined roof. As in conventional inclined rooves, there is a fascia board 14 at the lower end of the inclined roof which is secured to the rafters and a gutter 16 is secured along the fascia board 14.

Supported on the rafters 12 are a plurality of spaced apart battens 18 which, as in conventional inclined rooves, extend perpendicularly from one rafter 12 to another. The battens 18 are secured to the rafters 12 by screws 20. Each batten 18 (except for the starter batten 18 a shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) is of identical shape and size, and is, in this embodiment, constructed of welded and bent sheets of galvanised iron, but may be constructed of any light weight, resilient and load bearing material.

Each batten 18 has a base portion 22, an upright portion 24 connected to and extending upwardly from the base portion 22, and a transversely extending portion 26 connected to and extending transversely in one direction only from the top of the upright portion 24.

In use, the batten 18 is so located on an inclined roof that the transversely extending portion 26 extends in a downwardly inclined direction towards the gutter 16. The base portion 22 must be so formed that it allows for the passage of the screws 20, such as by having preformed screw holes formed in the base portion 22 at positions corresponding to, in use, the underlying location of the rafters 12. The starter batten 18 a has a transversely extending portion 26 a that is longer than that of the other battens 18.

Supported on the battens 18 are interlocking panels 30 adapted to support thereon a plurality of tiles 32. Each panel 30 is of identical shape and size and is, in this embodiment, constructed of a single bent sheet of galvanised iron but may be constructed of any resilient, light weight and load bearing material, including an extrudable plastic material. Each panel 30 has opposed, but not identical, first and second edges along its length.

The first edge of the panel 30, which is adapted to be located, in use, above the second edge, defines an upwardly hooked portion 34 formed by an upward and back bending of a first edge region of the panel 30. The second edge of the panel 30 defines a downwardly hooked portion 36 formed by a downward and back bending of a second edge region of the panel 30. The upward and back bending and the downward and back bending of the opposed edge regions of each panel 30 may be the result of conventional metal forming apparatus that can bend sheet metal into a desired shape in a continuous process.

In order to interlock any two adjacent panels down an inclined roof, the downwardly hooked portion 36 of an upper one of the panels 30 in the tile support arrangement 10 is engaged with the upwardly hooked portion 34 of an adjacent, lower one of the panels 30 in the tile support arrangement.

The transversely extending portion 26 of each batten 18 fits between the top of the upwardly hooked portion 34 of the lower one of the panels 30 and the bottom of a planar panel region adjacent the second edge of the upper one of the panels 30. In this way, because each pair of adjacent panels 30 are interlocked by mutual engagement of their respective downwardly and upwardly hooked portions, the transversely extending portion 26 of each batten 18 only needs to fit under the upper one of the panels, in the manner described above, in order to support the weight of each pair of interlocking adjacent panels above the rafters 12.

The tiles 32 supported on the interlocking panels 30 are flat plate tiles of considerably lighter weight than the commonly used heavy, shaped, baked clay tiles. The tiles 32 do not interlock with each other, but are fixed in place on the panels 30 by clips 40 shown in FIG. 8 which prevent them from sliding, under gravity, down the face of the panels 30. Each clip 40 is of identical shape and size and is, in this embodiment, constructed of a single bent strip of galvanised iron, but may be constructed of any resilient, light weight and load bearing material, including an extrudable plastic material. Each clip 40 has opposed, but not identical, first and second ends. The first end of the clip 40 is adapted to be located, in use, above the second end, and both the first and second ends define separate upwardly hooked portions 42, 44 respectively. The upwardly hooked portion 42 at the first end is adapted to engage within the downwardly hooked portion 36 of an interlocking panel 30, and the upwardly hooked portion 44 at the second end is adapted to engage around a lower edge 46 of the tile 32. In this embodiment, two spaced apart clips 40 fix each tile 32 onto its corresponding surface portion of the panel 30.

As shown in FIG. 3, the apex or ridge of the inclined roof is capped by an inverted V-shaped member 48 having a downwardly hooked portion at each of its opposed edges along its length. These opposed downwardly hooked portions engage with the upwardly hooked portions 34 of the respective panels 30 located on opposite sides of the inverted V-shaped member 48 on the inclined roof. The member 48 thus prevents rain water ingress through the gap between the oppositely inclined, uppermost panels 30 of the tile support arrangement on the roof.

The tile support arrangement 50 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is supported on load bearing timber studs 52 of a building outer wall. There is a plate board 54 upon which the studs 52 are supported, and the plate board 54 is secured to, in this embodiment, a brickwork foundation 56 supporting a concrete floor 58. Features of the tile support arrangement 50 corresponding to those of the tile support arrangement 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 are hereinafter given corresponding reference numerals.

Supported on the studs 52 are a plurality of spaced apart battens 18. The battens 18 extend perpendicularly from one stud 52 to another and are secured to the studs 52 by screws.

In use, each batten 18 is so located on an outer wall that the transversely extending portion 26 extends in a substantially downward direction towards the foundation 56. The base portion 22 of each batten 18 has preformed screw holes therethrough for allowing the passage of screws into the studs 52.

Supported against the battens 18 are interlocking panels 30 adapted to support thereon a plurality of tiles 32. The manner in which any two adjacent panels 30 are interlocked down an outer wall is identical to that for the inclined roof mentioned earlier. Also, the manner in which the tiles 32 are supported and fixed on the interlocking panels 30 is identical to that for the inclined roof mentioned earlier.

Various modifications may be made in details of design and construction without departing from the scope and ambit of the invention. 

1. A tile support arrangement comprising interlocking panels adapted to support thereon a plurality of tiles, a plurality of battens adapted to support thereon the interlocking panels, each batten comprising an upright portion having connected thereto a transversely extending portion, said transversely extending portion being flat and oriented in a generally downwardly inclined direction and configured for engaging with the interlocking panels and means for securing the battens to load bearing frame members of an inclined roof or a wall of a building.
 2. The tile support arrangement of claim 1 wherein each interlocking panel is so supported on the battens that it has a first edge adapted to be located, in use, above a second edge in opposed relationship to the first edge, the first edge defining an upwardly hooked portion and the second edge defining a downwardly hooked portion, wherein an upper one of the panels in the arrangement is interlocked to a lower one of the panels in the arrangement is interlocked to a lower one of the panels by mutual engagement of the upper panel downwardly hooked portion with the lower panel upwardly hooked portion.
 3. The tile support arrangement of claim 2 wherein each batten includes an upright portion adapted to support the interlocking panels in spaced relationship to the frame members and a transversely extending portion adapted to engage within the downwardly hooked portion of an interlocking panel.
 4. The tile support arrangement of claim 1 wherein each batten includes a base portion adapted to be supported against the frame members and to receive means for fixing the batten to the frame members.
 5. The tile support arrangement of claim 1 and including clips adapted to fix the tiles on the interlocking panels.
 6. The tile support arrangement of claim 5 wherein each clip has a first end adapted to be located, in use, above a second end in opposed relationship to the first end, both the first and second ends defining separate upwardly hooked portions, wherein the upwardly hooked portion at the first end is adapted to engage within the downwardly hooked portion of an interlocking panel that supports a tile, and the upwardly hooked portion at the second end is adapted to engage around a lower edge of the tile.
 7. A tile support arrangement comprising interlocking panels adapted to support thereon a plurality of tiles, a plurality of battens adapted to support thereon the interlocking panels, and means for securing the battens to load bearing frame members of an inclined roof or a wall of a building, wherein each interlocking panel is so supported on the battens that it has a first end portion adapted to be located, in use, above a second portion in opposed relationship to the first end portion, the first end portion defining an upwardly hooked member and the second end portion defining a downwardly hooked member, wherein an upper one of the panels in the arrangement is interlocked to a lower one of the panels by mutual engagement of the upper panel downwardly hooked member with the respective lower panel upwardly hooked member, and wherein each batten further includes an upright portion which supports the interlocking panels in spaced relationship to the frame members and a transversely extending portion adapted to engage within the downwardly hooked portion of an interlocking panel, thereby supporting the interlocking panels in elevated positions above the load bearing frame members.
 8. The tile support arrangement of claim 7, wherein each batten includes a base portion adapted to be supported against the frame members and to receive means for fixing the batten to the frame members.
 9. The tile support arrangement of claim 7 and including clips adapted to fix the tiles on the interlocking panels.
 10. The tile support arrangement of claim 9 wherein each clip has a first end adapted to be located, in use, above a second end in opposed relationship to the first end, both the first and second ends defining separate upwardly hooked portions, wherein the upwardly hooked portion at the first end is adapted to engage within the downwardly hooked member of an interlocking panel that supports a tile, and the upwardly hooked portion at the second end is adapted to engage around a lower edge of the tile.
 11. A tile support arrangement comprising interlocking panels adapted to support thereon a plurality of tiles, a plurality of battens adapted to support thereon the interlocking panels, each batten comprising a base, an upright portion and a transversely extending portion, said base having a downwardly extending element and an upwardly extending element and being adapted for connecting to a load bearing frame member, said upright portion being generally perpendicular to the base, and being connected to the base and configured to support the interlocking panels in spaced relationship to the frame members, the transversely extending portion being connected to the upright portion and oriented in a generally downwardly inclined direction and configured for engaging the interlocking panels in elevated positions above the load bearing frame members.
 12. The tile support arrangement of claim 11, wherein the base is transverse and means is provided for fixing the batten to respective the frame member.
 13. The tile support arrangement of claim 11 further including clips adapted to fix the tiles on the interlocking panels.
 14. The tile support arrangement of claim 11, wherein each clip has a first end adapted to be located, in use, above a second end in opposed relationship to the first end, both the first and second ends defining separate upwardly hooked portions, wherein the upwardly hooked portion at the first end is adapted to engage within the downwardly hooked member of an interlocking panel that supports a tile, and the upwardly hooked portion at the second end is adapted to engage around a lower edge of the tile.
 15. The tile support arrangement of claim 1, wherein said transversely extending portion includes a terminal end, said terminal end being flat and oriented in a generally downwardly inclined direction and configured for engaging with the interlocking panels.
 16. The tile support arrangement of claim 7, wherein said transversely extending portion includes a terminal end, said terminal end being flat and oriented in a generally downwardly inclined direction and configured for engaging with the interlocking panels.
 17. The tile support arrangement of claim 11, wherein said transversely extending portion includes a terminal end, said terminal end being flat and oriented in a generally downwardly inclined direction and configured for engaging with the interlocking panels.
 18. The tile support arrangement of claim 1, wherein said transversely extending portion is configured to engage the interlocking panels in spaced relationship to the frame members. 